Opened: April 18, 1923
Final Game: September 21, 2008
Capacity: 56,936
Old Yankee Stadium
One day I sat down and said, you know what would be cool? Seeing a game at Yankee Stadium! So in 2007 I made it happen. I got tickets for a game against the Devil Rays figuring they would be easier to procure than others and drove myself up for a Sunday game. I got there early and drove around Manhattan and Brooklyn for a bit to kill time before the game.
How did I get there?
Took I-95 to New York from Baltimore with a brief detour to go through Trenton, which I had never been in. After driving around Manhattan and Brooklyn for a bit (drove over the Brooklyn Bridge as well) I parked in Hoboken, NJ. Figuring finding a parking spot at the park would be difficult I had purchased a ticket for the Yankee Clipper, a boat that made various stops along the way and dropped you off at the stadium. Paid I think $30 for the boat and $20 to park. While much more convenient, I don’t think I made the right choice, but it is not the Yankee Clipper’s fault for that. The boat drops you off right at the stadium which was very nice. I remember walking up the stadium and thinking, to quote Sean Connery in Indiana Jones, that I was a pilgrim in an unholy land. I did get some beautiful pictures of Manhattan from the boat though. That part was well worth it.
Ticket prices
This is the Yankees, enough said. I kid. Don’t remember how much I paid as my ticket stub was so soaked in sweat that I threw it out, but it wasn’t price gouging like I expected it to be. Certainly not what Boston charges to sit in a comparable seat. I sat in the bleachers since I wanted the cheapest ticket and I don’t think it was more than $10.
Finding my seat and amenities
I got a seat in the bleachers. For someone who knew where to go that was not an issue but that wasn’t me. I was unaware that there was a separate entrance for the bleachers only. The Yankees kept that part segregated from the rest of the park you see. Now I know. The Yankees offered many of the same amenities it seemed but I can’t speak to that since I did not get to see the rest of the park. The Yankee Clipper dropped us off with about 30 minutes to game time so even if I had access to the rest of the park I don’t know how much time I would have had to explore.
In game experience
No issues here, just straight baseball. Considering that the Yankees probably get introduced everywhere with the Imperial March from The Empire Strikes Back playing it was odd hearing the team get introduced with the Throne Room Song from A New Hope. As far as the game went the Yankees blew the Devil Rays out of the water. This was the highest scoring major league game I have ever seen and the most lopsided at 25-4. Joe Torre even removed the DH so Alex Rodriguez could play in the field and a pitcher batted. There is somewhat of a stereotype of Yankee fans in the Bleachers. I didn’t show up wearing any opposing team colors or anything so I was not subject to anything and I heard nothing leveled at the Rays bullpen outside of the usual fan taunting which I was sitting behind. Of course its hard to hate the Devil Rays and hard to taunt them when they’re losing so badly.
Getting out
Scoring 25 runs takes a long time. This game took well over 4 hours to play. Now the Yankees play at a slower pace so I was expecting a long game but not 25 runs long. The Yankee Clipper does not leave until I think it was 30 minutes after the last out and then it was an hour ride back to Hoboken. That is where I think I made a mistake. If I had parked at the stadium (or rode the train) I could have left much earlier and probably been halfway home or more by the time I was getting into my car. Hey, chalk that up to experience.
Wrap
I didn’t think of it much then but as the stadium was being torn down and the new cathedral of opulence built I realized I was glad I made this trip. I saw a game in the same stadium that Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio and Mantle played in. The same stadium that the ’60 Bucs played in (I did take a little bit of glee when 1960 was not displayed on the championship list!) and the same stadium that has witnessed so much history. I don’t regret going but changed tactics the next time I went.